A Regency Christmas

More of a rakes and mistresses

novellas, than a Christmas themed collection.
I think it was a bit off putting when the guys all were extremely focused on hooking up.
In one novella, the guy is pushing forty, checks out the daughter as marriage material before pursuing the mom for an affair (he'd already kissed her 18 years ago). Definte ick factor.
Sugar plum was the best of the bunch, mainly because there is talk of confections.

So, not so much Christmas, way more in rakes and not in a good way.

Three wonderful Christmas stories filled with love.
An anthology of three Christmas stories with wonderful characters and great storylines.
Susan Payne is a new to me author that I plan to look into..

First sentence from A Regency Christmas Story: “Oh Christopher, how could you do such a thing? How am I to explain to the shopkeepers they must wait yet again?” Penny couldn’t understand how grown men expected gambling debts to be paid within days while hardworking vendors and tradesmen were expected to wait sometimes months.

Premise/plot: Penny loves, loves, loves her brother no matter how irresponsible he may be. She's both mother and sister to him since their parents died. Now that he has HUGE debts due soon because of a high stakes gambling game, she will do just about anything--even play nice with the gentleman he owes the most money to--but what are HIS intentions towards her and her brother?

My thoughts: I really ENJOYED this one. Lord Leighton and Penny make a cute couple, and their path to love isn't smooth sailing by any means. Payne's storytelling was great--as were her characters--and this one was NEARLY clean!!! I felt the potential was finally realized.

First sentence from The Best Christmas Present: How had it come to this? A man his age viewing a room full of young ladies barely out of the schoolroom with their hair in ringlets and dressed up to lure and entice, looking like little girls in their mothers’ clothes.

Premise/plot: Lady Trowbridge (Malinda) has come to London with her young daughter, Emily, for Emily's first season. While at an event she spots an old flame--they'd shared a kiss when she had her first season years before, he is drawn to her once more. Will this be their time? Is he any more honorable now than he was before?

My thoughts: This is my least favorite of the three stories. Not that it isn't without some charm. It is the only story within the collection that is definitely smutty.

First sentence from Sugar Plum Christmas: The young gentleman wearing morning clothes picked up one of the petit eclairs Michie had placed on the silver tray covered by flower petals. Popping it into his mouth, he licked his fingers, saying, “I bet you are as sweet as that little bite of confection.”

Premise/plot: Micheline is a confectionist. She works in a bake shop making and decorating all sorts of sweet goodies. She's kept busying catering for the elite ton. But one gentleman has noticed her, Lord Hedley (aka Cyrus), and he's tempted by more than her baked goods. Will his interest in her be her downfall?

My thoughts: This was a SWEET story that I loved. I enjoyed their romance so much. I greatly appreciate that it was a CLEAN READ. You don't have to have graphic scenes to be romantic and have all the feels. I loved how sweet, honorable, and kind he was towards her and her mother.

Overall thoughts: I would say that I loved two out of three of the story; the middle story I merely liked. But I definitely am enjoying the STORYTELLING and character development aspects of the novellas. Unlike her previous books, this one contains two stories that are nearly clean or almost completely clean. One story definitely is still very graphic. But I am glad I read this one!

This is a review for 3 Instant Regency romance novellas in one book by Susan Payne.

These were sweet love stories that all happen around Christmas time.

I liked the first story the best, A Regency Christmas story, where Penny and Daniel had chemistry and banter, that I enjoyed reading about very much.

The second story, the Best Christmas present was a quick read, but lacked a bit of the writing style from the first one. I did like Malinda and Emily.

The last book in the series is Sugar plum Christmas. This was a “sweet” story about a confectionary baker named Micheline and the Lord she keeps running into.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

An Absolute a joy to read! Three stories of three couples unexpectedly finding love. A spinster's selfless life attracts a Marquess who thought he only wanted the lady as a mistress, but discovers love and wants her for his wife. An older couple meet again after eighteen years. She was a debutante, he was a young buck avoiding marriage. She married and is a widow with her daughter in her first season. Now an Earl, he needs an heir and is looking for a wife. Should he go with his heart? A young lady who works for Gunters, creates the most amazing pastries and aperitifs. Attracted to the young lady's preparations, an Earl becomes enchanted with her, too. He will do anything to make her his wife. Everyone of these is a feel good story with a happy ending that will make you smile.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Three delightful Christmas themed stories. All set in Regency England.

Penelope from a very good family has fallen on hard times, trying to protect her brother Christopher who is in debt, always wanting more and being drawn into the wrong circles. How does one protect a grown up boy in Regency England, with the restrictions placed on women.

The second story was slightly hilarious. Lord Williamsburg at 40 realises that he must marry and have some heirs - he has left it rather late. But in his search for a bride, it seems that the girl's mother is the one who is attracting his attention the most!


The third story set in Gunter's Tea Room amidst all the pastries and fancies made me wanting to eat and taste them all as the cooking is part of the attraction of the story as well as the love story which followed.

Ideal to put one in the Christmas spirit.

This book was okay—not terrible, but not something I would recommend, either. I read the first story and didn't continue.

I struggled with the author's writing style. The long sentences were confusing. There were grammatical issues like incorrect verb tense. Perhaps I could have overlooked those things if I had found the story engaging, but I didn't. It lacked emotion. There was no chemistry between the hero and heroine. I didn't like the hero—he was overbearing. Even his genuine interest in the heroine's well-being didn't excuse it. How many times does a woman have to say no to one man before he leaves her be? This doesn't bode well for the kind of husband he'll be.

Also, there wasn't much at stake for the main characters. The brother's gambling debts drove the tension in the story. There was no obstacle to prevent the hero and heroine from getting together.

Overall, I just couldn't get into this book.

This is a sweet anthology of Yuletide regency romance that is perfect for this time of year. The stories all feature poignant romances, and the holiday settings bring an extra element of cheer.

Thank you for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I always like to read a Regency Christmas story during the season, in honour of Jane Austen's birthday on the 16th, and this was a wonderful choice. These three novellas are great fun, and unexpected in the best ways. I appreciated that they moved along and didn't get caught up in normal Regency tropes (not necessarily a bad thing, but it can waste time in a novella). We get some slightly out-of-the-ordinary Regency characters, which was also a lovely change. If you want a light and enjoyable Regency read, you must read A Regency Christmas!

I enjoyed this anthology set in Regency England during Christmas. The setting and history were lovely. Some of the stories moved a little slow, but overall it was an enjoyable collection.

This book was an anthology of 3 stories from the same author. The stories involved the aristocracy, the gentry and the working class romance. Two were stories where the aristocratic men were courting women of a different class. The stories premise were lovely, but the actual character development was slightly lacking.
I feel the author had offered her readers 3 light hearted stories where love prevails, even at Christmas. Her heroines were all strong women, but the heroes seemed to be very cold and conniving. In the first story, the hero was downright creepy. The other stories were a little better.
Thw best thing about the stories is the message involved. It was about love leading the way in the dark of a cold winter. The saddest thing was that the men didn't seem to have a positive character, until.they met their future wife. Nor did they seem to understand why these particular women peaked their interest. The author was trying to portray the men as typical, but they all seemed very shallow. Maybe the author could redress this in the future.
All-in-all, the stories were good. I am giving a rating of 3.5 stars. I don't know if I would recommend since the stories had some deficiencies. If you read this and want to read, I think I have prepared the reader for what they will find: three stories, based on Christmas, where a man falls in live with a women. This is enjoyable on it's own.